Conduit foe electrical conductors



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented Sept. 28, l886.

(No Model.)

C. G..PERKINS.

UNDERGROUND-GONDUIT POR ELECTRICAL GNDUGTORS. No. 349,739.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. G. PERKINS.

UNDERGROUND GGNDUIT EUR ELECTRICAL GONDUGTORS. No. 349,739@ .5

Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

IMMUII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES (l. PERKNS, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE IMPERAL ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

UNDERGROUND CONDUIT FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS.

SPECEEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,739,dated September 28, 1886,

Application tiled December 14, 1883. Serial No. 114.505.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. PERKINS, a citizen ofthe United States,and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State ot" New York, have invented certain. new

and uselful Improvements in Underground Conduits for Electrical Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to underground eon- Io duits for electrical conductors, and especially to means for testing the saine and freeing the same `from moisture.

I have illustrated my invention in the acconrlpianying drawings, in which. Figure l rep- I 5 resents diagrammatically my system as a whole. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ol" two of my test boxes. Fig. Sis an elevation, partlyseetional, ol.' one of my tcst-boxcs. Fig. 4t is aseetion ot' my conduit with its inclosed conductors, and Fig. 5 illustrates my method 'ot' sealing my conduit, and also the manner in which my conductors are led into a building.

The particular i'ormot' conduit to be used in connection with my invention is a matter ot' comparative indifference. I have shown my conductors d and c as lying in ,longitudinal perforations i n a clay cylinder, fc, which is surrounded by a pipe, y, ol' some diamagnetic metal. The whole is surrounded by a pipe, (l, 3o 0l' glazed clay. This construction Otconduit is described` and claimed in another application iilcd by me and still pending in the United States Patent Office. It will be observed that the inclosed parts do not iit tightly in their 3 5 casings, but leave room for the air to circulate under the proper conditions. This conduit is led into testboxes in the usual manner, and the conductors are there coupled as may be desi red.

In Fig. 2, Z) represents a branch conduit cxtending into the test-box c, while c c are parts ot'the main conduit. Before passing into the tcst-boX to be coupled the conductors are made to pass through a plug, l', of asbestus and a packing, t, ot cement or other suitable sealing material, the whole 'forming a hermetical seal to the inner ends oi' the conduits. A similar construction exists at the terminus ot' each branch conduit, as shown in Fig. 5, h in that (No model.)

figure representing the end ol a conduit, and 5o 7i a cap covering the same. The parts ot" the main conduit are connected through cach testbox by a pipe, m, in which is located a stopcock, n. One part ofthe main conduit is also connected with the branch Z1 by a pipe, 7l', in 55 which is located a stop-cock, Z. The conduit (l. is connected with an exhaust pump, P, (see Fig. 1,) by a pipe, l.

S .is a \'acuuin.-gage connected with the suction-pipe 1)', and r is the discharge-pipe.

The parts being arranged as shown in the drawings, it is possible at any time eiihcrto withdraw l'rom the whole system, by means ol' the pump, anymoisture that may have collected in the pipes, or to locate the part. that is out of order in case the pump Al'ails to accent plish that result. The former is accomplished simply by opening all the stop-cocks, Z oz., and causing the pump to Operate. It" the vacuumgage 'l'ail to register a sullicient degree ot' ex- 70 haustion, thereby indicatingimpertect sealing at some point, the stop-cocks may be closed one after another until` only one branch con duit is pncumaticall y connected with the suction-pipe P. It is evident that any desired branch can be so connected that by successive trials with the pump and vacuum-gage it will be possible to determine whether and where there is an imperfect sealing, and so to take measures l'or remedying the detect.

It is recognized by those familiar with the art that moisture is the most dangerous enemy to the effectiveness 0l" the underground conduit. ='The gist ot'my present invention lies in providing suitable and convenient means l'or S5 removing moisture trom conduits.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, 0 represents a dynamo or other suitable generator of electricity.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,l 9o 1s- In an underground conduit lor electrical conductors having one or more test-boxes in the circuit thereof, the conduit terminating within the test-boxes hernietically sealed, the 9 5 interior parts oi the conduits connected with each other by means Yforming an air or water conduit having a device connected therewith adapted to open and close the communication Signed at New York, in the county of New Vbetween them, and a subordinate branch of York and' State of New York, this 13th day the conduit, which also terminates within a of December, A. D. 1883.

test-box and has its extreme ends hermetically 5 sealed, the interior of the subordinate branch Y CHARLES G. PERKINS.

connected with that of the main conduit by f means forming an air or water condi't, and Witnesses: having a device connected therewith adapted Y E. XVM. EDWARDS, to open and close the saine, substantially as J. A. HURDLE.

Io shown and described. 

